Patty Maloney
Patricia Anne Maloney (born 17 March 1936, Perkinsville, New York) is an American actress with dwarfism. Her live-action television credits include Far Out Space Nuts, which also starred Bob Denver and Chuck McCann; the Donny & Marie variety show, where she did sketches with Ruth Buzzi and Paul Lynde, and the HBO series Tales from the Crypt, for which she operated the Crypt Keeper puppet while John Kassir performed the character's voice. Hanna-Barbera Roles * Richie Rich: Deborah Grant in "The Space Shark" (uncredited) * The Little Rascals: Darla Hood * Smurfs: Blue Eyes the pegasus in "Blue Eyes Returns" (uncredited) * Scooby-Doo and the Ghoul School: Tanis Biography Patty Maloney was born in Perkinsville, New York. She began her show business career at age three on Broadway. At the age of seven, she moved with her family to Winter Park, a suburb of Orlando, Florida. She was well loved by her family and was never treated any differently from her brother or sisters. When Edith Royal first opened her studio in Winter Park, Maloney became a featured dancer. She attended Park Avenue High School and St. James High School and graduated. While in high school, she spent one summer traveling with a carnival and later, one year with Ringling Brothers Circus. It was not until she joined up with the Nate Eagle Troupe that she became aware she could indeed lead a truly cosmopolitan life — and her family suddenly realized she was an adult. Here she grasped the many nuances of entertaining, learning to use make-up, to dress and to hobnob with high society and government officials. Maloney met the president of Honduras, and she's been photographed with numerous dignitaries. Even if she became successful, her mother insisted that Patty should have another profession. So Patty attended the University of Florida and became a keypunch operator. Maloney returned to New York and obtained a position with National Airlines, where she met her future husband: Joseph Vitek, a printer from Chicago who was 4 feet 8 inches tall. After several years of correspondence, they were married at the Actor's Chapel in New York. During her pre-marriage days, she traveled to Europe, Cuba and South America. Back in North America, she married and moved to Chicago, residing happily with Vitek until his untimely death in 1968. Her sorrow was deep as she also lost her premature baby at the same time. Reluctantly, Maloney returned to show business. She met the Krofft Brothers, who were putting together a new puppet show, Fol-de-Rol, and they promptly hired her. She moved to Los Angeles and she has been working ever since, as she is much sought after for entertaining skills. She has always maintained that little people must live in a big people's world, and she really does — her home is furnished with normal-sized furniture. Later Life In 2005, Maloney made a cameo appearance toward the end of "Teacher Earl", an episode of the NBC sitcom My Name Is Earl. Circa 2010, Maloney was diagnosed with macular degeneration, a condition which may result in blurred or no vision in the center of the visual field. It is uncertain whether this was the beginning stages of health decline. In 2011, Maloney appeared as herself in Hanlet: Episode 4½ – Attack of the Phantom Special, a documentary about the production of the Star Wars Holiday Special. External Links * Patty Maloney at the Internet Movie Database * Patty Maloney at ShortSupport.org * Our Gang Wikia Wiki: Category:Voice actors Category:Real People Category:Smurfs Category:Scooby-Doo Category:Richie Rich Category:The Funtastic Index Category:The Little Rascals